VIJAYAWADA: Governor of AP and President of the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) AP State Branch S Abdul Nazeer presented Red Cross awards to Nellore Collector Himanshu Shukla, Nandyal Collector G Rajakumari, West Godavari Collector and District Magistrate C Nagarani, Kakinada’s MN Harendhira Prasad, Srikakulam’s Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar, Bapatla’s V Vinod Kumar and Krishna’s DK Balaji on Tuesday.
The presentation took place during the Annual General Meeting of the IRCS for 2024–25 at Tummalapalli Kalakshetram in Vijayawada.
Congratulating the awardees, the Governor praised the District Collectors and contributors for their outstanding role in raising resources, funding CSR projects, and executing core humanitarian service activities across the state. Nazeer highlighted key strategic collaborations undertaken by the AP State Branch to provide specialised community care.
He commended the Red Cross for partnering with the Sankalp Foundation to support Thalassemia patients, collaborating with LN4 Tangience Organization and Rotary International to provide prosthetic hands, working alongside the LV Prasad Eye Institute for cornea collection, and partnering with the Elite Anti-Narcotics Group for Law Enforcement (EAGLE) to drive awareness for a Drug-Free Andhra Pradesh.
He also lauded the ‘Mee Intiki Mee Doctor’ project, an Rs 8.50 crore three-year initiative supported by the Rural Electrification Corporation, which has adopted 5 lakh families across seven districts including Alluri Sitarama Raju, Parvathipuram Manyam, Nandyal, Palnadu, Tirupati, Konaseema, and West Godavari.
The Governor noted that youth make up over one-third of the country’s population and hold a critical key to building a Viksit Bharat and Swarna Andhra @2047.
He urged Vice-Chancellors of State and Central universities to set up Youth Red Cross units in institutions and integrate Red Cross principles into the academic curriculum, calling on the district Collectors to lead the nation by prioritising youth programmes.
Additionally, he called upon volunteers and citizens to actively participate in the AP Climate Action Campaign and the drive against single-use plastic. The event was presided over by IRCS General Secretary & CEO Ashwini Kumar Parida, alongside State Branch Chairman YD Rama Rao, Vice Chairman P Ramachandra Raju, and Treasurer D Sreehari Rao.
